Forgive Me
by toffee-apple-pixie
Summary: Draco Malfoy has reached a point in his life where he's not sure about things anymore. He doesn't want to turn to Dumbledore's side, but neither does he want to become a Death Eater. His mother has disowned him and his father is in Azkaban.
1. Aboard the Hogwarts Express

.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-. chapter one : aboard the hogwarts express (again) .-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.  
  
Draco Malfoy, 17 years of age, boarded the Hogwarts Express, whispering to himself his resolutions for that day. _No more conceitedness, no more arrogance, no more pleasing father..._He picked a compartment and sat down, looking out the window, where he saw Hermione standing alone on the platform. He smiled. She had really grown up over the summer. His smile vanished when Hermione waved to someone he couldn't see, and then Harry Potter, the Boy who Lived, came into view. He had grown a few inches over the summer holidays. Hermione hugged him and they boarded the train together.  
  
Feeling a twinge of jealousy, Draco turned and looked at the empty seat opposite him. He was all alone. But he mustn't feel bitter, he musn't feel jealous of someone else. They were happy, and they _should_ be happy, they deserved it.  
  
Unlike he.  
  
So much had happened over the summer that Draco wasn't sure about things anymore. His father, Lucius Malfoy, had been put away into Azkaban, the wizard prison, thanks to Harry. At first, Draco had been angry, and then bitter, and then . . . well, he felt slightly relieved. Everyone assumed that Lucius spoilt Draco, and in a way that was true. But Lucius expect Draco to do things for him, and for the Dark Lord, things that Draco was rather reluctant to do. Things like hating people from other houses simply because they weren't in Slytherin, because they weren't supporters of the Dark Lord. Draco didn't like the Dark Lord, but the Malfoys were famous for being pureblood and for being in Voldemort's inner circle, so it was hard to change the way people thought about him.  
  
Narcissa, Draco's mother, had disowned him. "You are no son of mine, Draco," she had said simply, when Lucius had been sent to Azkaban. "How can you say such bad things about the Dark Lord, and about your father?!"  
  
Malfoy sighed, and glanced out the window again, where he saw Crabbe and Goyle. They saw him on the train, those stupid oafs, and they scowled at him. They must have heard about Draco's disloyalty to the Dark Lord. He could have sworn, as he watched them get onto the Hogwarts Express, that their fists were clenched into tight balls, and he knew that he had better be careful from now on.  
  
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o  
  
"What's wrong with Malfoy?" Hermione nudged Harry.  
  
Harry, swallowing his food, looked up at the Slytherin table, where he saw Draco Malfoy sitting at the end of the table, silent, and hardly touching his food. Crabbe and Goyle were further up the table glaring daggers at him, but Draco didn't seem to notice.   
  
The Feast was magnificent, and Ron Weasley was scoffing down as much food as he could, as he was starving. The food on the train hadn't been enough to keep him going, and he had complained about his hunger before the train had even arrived at Hogwarts.  
  
"Well?" Hermione turned to Harry. "What's wrong with him?"  
  
"Why do you care about a git like him?" Harry asked, looking sceptically at Hermione.   
  
"I don't," Hermione said impatiently, "but he looks . . . different. I mean, he's not even wearing his trademark smirk on his face anymore. What's gotten into him?"  
  
"He must be feeling down because I put his dad into Azkaban," Harry shrugged. "Come on Hermione," he added, when Hermione still looked a little concerned. "You're worrying about Malfoy, Hermione, MALFOY. The idiot who calls you a Mudblood. The idiot who takes every opportunity to insult you. Why worry about him?"  
  
Hermione nodded slowly, and cast one last glance in Draco's direction before turning back to her pie. Though she knew what Harry said was true, about Draco being horrid to her, she knew that something about Malfoy was different, and the way he looked . . . she almost felt sorry for him.  
  
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So what do you think? This is my first fanfic. Please read and review, and be nice please! XD


	2. Heads of School

I'm surprised that I've gotten some reviews for my first chapter (and pleased about it too :D) as I've written a story on fictionpress before and only got one reviewer review my story four times Oo so this is great.   
  
Sephiroth86 don't worry, I'll try not to do that (it's not really what I had planned, although it looks it)  
  
Scarcrow and Gnome really? were you gonna write something like this? Oo I'm sorry about that, but thank you for your kind words, they are much appreciated =D Let me know when you get your story up. (and no, I don't mind if you use mine for inspiration...i wasn't aware I could write something that could inspire someone though! :D).  
  
Thank you also to Zimarme, Kestrez and MusikLuver for your reviews as well! Luv ya all! =D  
  
.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-. chapter two: Heads of school .-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.  
  
Sighing, Draco watched as Pansy Parkinson gave him a glare, before she turned back to her new boyfriend, Blaise Zabini. Blaise saw Draco watching, and he smirked. Pansy and Draco had broken up when Draco had decided he didn't want to be a Death Eater, and Pansy had heard about some dreadful things Draco said about his own father.   
  
When everyone had finished eating, the tables were magically cleared, and Dumbledore stood up, beaming. "Welcome to another year at Hogwarts," he said cheerfully, and Draco wondered why he was so cheerful.   
  
Dumbledore reminded the school about certain rules that needed to be followed (such as keeping away from the Forbidden Forest) and then he added, "Now, I will announce this year's Head Boy and Girl."  
  
Malfoy rolled his eyes. He wanted to get this over and done with so he could go and sleep. He was extremely tired, and he wanted to escape the glares of his fellow Slytherins -- they all probably knew about how he was a disgrace to the Malfoy family, and also to the Slytherin house. He didn't care much about what they thought, but their glares were very uncomfortable, he wasn't used to being unpopular in his own house.  
  
"Your Head Girl is Hermione Granger . . ."  
  
Everyone applauded politely, although the Slytherins did not clap for Hermione. Draco glanced over at the Gryffindor table and saw that Hermione was blushing, while Harry and Ron were busy congratulating her. He wasn't a big fan of the Golden Trio, but he envied their happiness, their friendship and loyalty. He shook his head and turned his attention back to Dumbledore.  
  
"It was a difficult decision as to who your Head Boy shall be, but in the end, we decided it would be . . ."  
  
Here we go, Draco thought. It's sure to be Potty. Dumbledore always favours that Potter boy.  
  
". . . Draco Malfoy."  
  
At first, he wasn't sure he heard correctly. He stared, wide-eyed, shocked, at Professor Dumbledore, who was smiling kindly at him. No one was clapping for him, not even the Slytherins now, and for a moment, Draco felt embarrassed in that awkward silence.  
  
Someone suddenly clapped. Hermione had stood up and started applauding him, and in a moment everyone else had followed her lead and clapped for him.   
  
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-  
  
"What did you do that for?" Harry whispered in Hermione's ear.  
  
"I felt sorry for him," Hermione replied.  
  
"WHAT?" Ron spluttered. "You can't be serious Hermione, you really can't be . . ."  
  
"I am," Hermione snapped. "Get over it Ron."  
  
She stood up and left them both gaping after her. She headed to Professor Dumbledore, who stood at the front of the Hall, waiting for her and Draco. She saw Draco Malfoy making his way to the Headmaster as well, and wondered, again, what was wrong with him, and how Dumbledore had decided Draco would make a suitable Head Boy.  
  
"As Head Boy and Girl, the two of you have the privilege of having your own common room and bathroom, and you will have your own separate bedrooms," the Headmaster said. "Your things have already been taken there, and the password to get in and out is "Fizzing Whizzbee". The two of you will work together to manage the Prefects and to keep order in the school. You have the power to docket points..." at this, he looked sternly at Malfoy, who looked a little surprised that the Headmaster was staring at him, "...but you mustn't abuse this power or I will strip you of your title. Is that clear?"  
  
"Yes sir," Malfoy said.  
  
"Yes Professor," Hermione said.  
  
"Good. I'll show you to your rooms, then."  
  
Pouting slightly, Draco followed the Headmaster, with Hermione lagging behind.   
  
"What do you want?!" He snapped when he caught Hermione staring.   
  
"Nothing," Hermione replied, and giving a dignified toss of her head, continued on, giving Draco a slight bump as she passed him.  
  
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-  
  
"Well, we all knew that Hermione would be Head Girl," Ron said to his best friend Harry, as they sat in the Gryffindor common room. "But...Malfoy?" He shook his head and sighed.  
  
Harry said nothing. Hermione was right -- there _was_ something different about Malfoy.   
  
"Earth to Harry..."  
  
"What?" Harry snapped. Ron, who had been waving his hand before Harry's eyes, instantly stopped as soon as he heard his friend speak.  
  
"What's up with you Harry? You've been really quiet." Ron leaned back in his armchair and ate a chocolate frog, while Harry watched silently.  
  
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-  
  
a rather uneventful chapter, I know, I'll try and make the next chapter more interesting =D I know, so far it's been a bit predictable, but I promise, that'll change! 


	3. A Traitor

.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-. chapter three: a traitor .-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.  
  
The Head Boy and Girl's rooms were magnificent. Hermione found that her room was almost the same size as the girls' dormitory back in Gryffindor Tower, and the Common Room was wonderful. There were shelves of books, wonderful books, for her to read.   
  
As Dumbledore said, her things had already been deposited on the floor in her room. Satisfied, Hermione changed into her pyjamas and prepared herself for bed. Grabbing her toothbrush and other toiletries, she entered the bathroom, where she found Malfoy alread brushing his teeth. Without saying anything, Hermione put some of her things into one of the cupboards above the sink, and was about to begin brushing her teeth as well, when Malfoy glared at her furiously.  
  
"Cah yoo waih uhtioo I fih-ish?" he said angrily, trying to make himself heard but struggling to keep the white foam inside his mouth. He saw Hermione smirk when he said this, and he gave her a slight shove. "_Geh ouh!_"  
  
Normally, Hermione would have ignored his comments and brushed her teeth anyway, regardless of whether he was there or not, but she decided that, for the moment, it was best to leave him alone. Anyway, it wasn't a great sight, Malfoy with white foam about to drip from his curled lips, and she didn't want to get any of that foam in her face if he tried to force her out of the room verbally.  
  
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-  
  
As Hermione exited the bathroom, Draco looked at himself in the bathroom mirror. Mortified when he saw smudges of foam on his chin, he spat out the foam and rinsed his mouth, involuntarily blushing as he did so. Granger had seen him with foam on his lips and chin and hardly able to speak no wonder she smirked!  
  
After he wiped his face dry, he went to his room, where he lay on his bed, thinking. Here he was, Head Boy of Hogwarts. Did he deserve to be Head Boy? Why had Dumbledore chosen _him_, instead of Potter, or Weasley, or some other student? It wasn't even as though Dumbledore _liked_ him, and yet he had made him one of the Heads of School. _Why_?  
  
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-  
  
Wincing a little at the pain, Severus Snape glared at the Dark Mark, an ugly magical tattoo on his left arm. Cursing it under his breath, as well as the Dark Lord, Snape Apparated immediately to where he knew the Dark Lord would be waiting.  
  
His Master was dressed in a dark cloak with a hood, which hid his face in darkness, save his eerie red eyes. As soon as he was in his presence, Snape knelt down. Other Death Eaters had arrived and they formed a dark solemn circle around their master, all of them on their knees.   
  
When they had all appeared, the Dark Lord took off his hood, so that his pale face could be seen. He had been a handsome boy when he attended Hogwarts, but he had somehow morphed into this hideous pale creature when he became known to the wizarding world as Lord Voldemort. He smirked a little now, pleased to see all the Death Eaters.  
  
"There is a spy in our midst," he said, his cold voice echoing in the dark hall. "This spy has been working for that Muggle-loving fool Dumbledore for a long time now. I have called you all here tonight so that I can reveal his identity."  
  
The Death Eaters looked at one another, wondering who this traitor could be. Snape tried not to show his guilt or fear he couldn't let them know how uncomfortable he felt. The Dark Lord looked a little amused as they glanced at each other suspiciously.  
  
"I am disappointed that some fool could think he could spy for Dumbledore and not be found out more disappointed than when Lucius Malfoy was sent to Azkaban because of his stupidity." His red eyes glittered maliciously as the Dark Lord paced around in the circle the Death Eaters formed. "Severus Snape!" he shouted suddenly, turning and pointing his bony pale finger at Hogwarts professor.  
  
Trying not to show his fear, Snape slowly stood up. Lord Voldemort laughed when Snape glared at him. He stopped glaring, though, when the Dark Lord raised his wand. "Avada Kedavra!"  
  
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o- 


	4. Missing

DISCLAIMER: Shoot! I just realised I'd forgotten to put the disclaimer! Argh! All right, I don't own any of the characters, they all belong to J.K. Rowling.  
  
AN: For all those people who are protesting against another DMHG romancey thing, don't worry about that, just keep reading. It may be a while for the romance to start up, and it may or may not be between Draco and Hermione. When I wrote the first chapter, I was toying with that idea, but after seeing a couple of your reviews, it may not be the best way to go. But who knows?  
  
Thank you to all the kind people who have reviewed my story. Luv ya all!  
  
.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-. chapter four: Missing .-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.  
  
The first lesson of the year was Potions with the Slytherins. Ron groaned as he thought about Malfoy and the stupid oafs he had for friends, teasing him about his family and friends . . . the very thought of it caused his face to turn slightly purple with anger.   
  
"What's up with you?" Harry asked.  
  
"Nothing . . . Potions with Slytherins," Ron replied.  
  
"Don't let them get to you," Harry said cheerfully, and Ron wondered why he was so happy today. "It's no use getting all hot and bothered about them because that'll make them happy to see you annoyed."  
  
Ron snorted, but did not reply.  
  
Once they finished breakfast, Ron looked around and realised that Hermione wasn't with them. "Where's Herm? With Ginny?"  
  
Harry shrugged.  
  
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-  
  
Draco woke up that same morning feeling dreadful. He went to the bathroom only to find that Hermione was already inside, and had locked the door. Banging his fist against the door, he yelled irritably, "Hurry up Granger!"  
  
"Patience is a virtue," Hermione replied calmly, and that annoyed Draco more. He wandered away from the bathroom into the Head Boy and Girl Common Room, where he kicked a chair to let out his anger.   
  
The door opened a few minutes later, and Hermione smiled innocently at Draco. "You can use it now."  
  
He let out an angry roar and passed her without another word. Hermione smiled indulgently for a moment, and then shook her head, scolding herself. "Don't be sadistic," she told herself. She glanced at her watch. "Oh _no_! Late!" She hurriedly jammed her books and quills into her brown bag and ran off to Potions as quickly as she could.  
  
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-  
  
Ten minutes late. Draco smirked to himself when he thought of how Professor Snape had never given him a detention before, or deducted points from the Slytherin House. Feeling complacent, he strolled into the dungeons where he expected Snape to be terrorising Neville, or taking points off Gryffindor for something trivial.  
  
But Professor Snape wasn't there at all.  
  
The class was in the dungeon, the Gryffindors looking pleased that Snape was late, while the Slytherins appeared a little concerned about where their House teacher was, but not so fussed as to do something about it. Draco stared at this awkward scene for a moment. It wasn't like Professor Snape to be late to class, he was always on time. What was going on?  
  
A few metres away, Harry, Hermione and Ron were talking together in low voices.  
  
"Where can Snape _be_?" Harry asked, concerned. Although he hated Snape, he knew that Snape was in the Order, and if anything had happened to him . . .  
  
"Who cares?" Ron said, smirking a little. "One less git in the world."  
  
"What do you mean, 'Who cares?'" Hermione gave Ron a sharp look, and instantly his smirk vanished. "Professor Dumbledore will care, the Order will care, I care! What if he was doing something for the Order and something _happened_ to him? Maybe Voldemort already has some sort of plan . . ."  
  
"Then why would he kill off Snape?" Ron asked lazily. "He thinks he's a Death Eater, right?"  
  
"Sometimes you can be so brainless, Ron," Harry said, a little annoyed at his best friend's thickness. "What if Voldemort found out? Then he would be sure to kill him off straightaway."  
  
"He's doing the world a favour," Ron muttered, though Harry and Hermione didn't hear.  
  
Normally, Hermione would have given Ron a lecture, or scolded him for his words, but this time, she chuckled a little, and Ron gave her a strange smile. Harry watched his two friends and wondered if there was something that they both weren't telling him.  
  
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-  
  
"Albus," Professor McGonagall said, as she entered the Headmaster's office. "Mr Potter and his friends have come to inform me that Severus hasn't gone to his class."  
  
The Headmaster of Hogwarts looked up at the worried teacher, and then asked, "Was he called away last night?"  
  
"If his Mark burned, he didn't mention it to me," McGonagall replied.   
  
"Ah," Dumbledore said. He stared down at his desk for a moment, and then said, "If he has not returned, I am afraid Voldemort has found him out."  
  
Minerva McGonagall had expected this. Her face not showing any emotion, she asked, "What should we do?"  
  
"For now?" Dumbledore sighed. "Get a new Potions Master. And find out how Voldemort caught Severus."  
  
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-  
  
Two choices. He had two choices. Option # 1 was to return to the Dark Side . . . to become a Death Eater once he finished school, as his parents had wished for him, and perhaps his mother might accept him as her son once more. Option # 2 was to crawl up to Dumbledore and hope that the Headmaster would believe him when he said that he detested the Dark Lord, and his father, and that he would help the Headmaster defeat the Dark Lord.   
  
Both sounded rather unappealing to Draco.   
  
But he had to choose one.  
  
"What to do, what to do?" he muttered to himself. He looked up and saw Pansy, Crabbe, Goyle and the other Slytherins joking around with each other, and getting on the Gryffindors' nerves. He used to be happy with them, but now . . .  
  
Professor Snape still hadn't showed up, but Professor McGonagall had told them that they may have a free period, as Snape was not to be found. The class had decided to stay in the dungeon until their next class. Draco cursed under his breath, wishing that his favourite teacher was here, so that he could seek his advice.   
  
Disgusted with the way the Slytherins were acting -- right now, they were making awful childish faces at the Gryffindors -- Draco turned and looked at Potter and his two sidekicks. They were sitting close together, discussing something in soft voices so that no one else could hear. What were they up to?  
  
Hermione suddenly started giggling, and Ron was smiling. Harry looked a little confused. Draco almost smirked at the look on Harry's face, when Ron's arm snaked around Hermione and wrapped itself around her waist. At first, she looked a little surprised too, and then smiled back at Ron, who had at first looked rather surprised at himself at his own daring.  
  
Suddenly, Hermione turned and caught Draco staring. He turned away and pretended he had been staring at the floor the whole time. For the first time in his life, he felt rather sheepish around a girl.  
  
Sorry, a rather boring chapter, but if I didn't have it in here then nothing would make sense o.O 


	5. Talk To Me

Disclaimer - I don't own any of the characters in this story.  
  
.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-. chapter five: Talk To Me .-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.  
  
Hermione returned to her common room to find Draco Malfoy sitting in a corner finishing his homework. She looked at him for a moment, but he was so engrossed in what he was doing that he didn't notice. Remembering that she had an Arithmancy test to study for, she quickly went to her room, took out her Arithmancy books, and went to the common room where she sat on the couch, studying.  
  
The room was so silent. Hermione remembered when she was still in the Gryffindor common room trying to concentrate, with her two best friends Ron and Harry chatting together, distracting her, and she smiled as she thought of the times she irritably told them to stop fooling around. Now, she missed the noise of the house common room . . . here, it was just too quiet.  
  
She heard a noise, and turned to see that an owl had flown into the room and headed for Draco. "So that's where the draught is coming from," she murmured to herself, and moved to shut the open window.  
  
Malfoy took the letter from his bird, and the owl went flying off to the Owlery. Curious, Hermione pretended to continue studying, holding up her book and watching Malfoy read the letter over the top of the book. Whatever colour he had in his face drained away -- his eyes widened a little. With his mouth slightly open, he reread the letter, then stood up, gathered his things, and went into his room.  
  
After watching this, Hermione suddenly got up and knocked on Malfoy's door.  
  
"What?" Malfoy answered gruffly, opening the door, though he looked a little surprised to see Hermione looking so concerned.  
  
"Are you all right?"  
  
Looking a little confused, Malfoy stammered, "Ex--_excuse_ me?"  
  
Rolling her eyes, Hermione repeated, "Are -- you -- all -- right?"  
  
He stared at her in disbelief for a few seconds, and then, blushing a little bit (which looked odd to Hermione, as he had such a pale complexion), he muttered, "Fine, just fine."  
  
"You sure?"  
  
Trying his best to sound irritable, and as much like the old Malfoy as possible, Malfoy snapped, "Well, I should know, shouldn't I?" However, his voice faltered a little. Cursing himself for blushing, but all the same also feeling rather bashful in her presence, Malfoy turned and pretended to look for something in his bag.  
  
When Hermione did not leave, he felt a little annoyed. "Don't you have some homework to do, Granger?"  
  
"I'll do it later," Hermione said. "I want to make sure you're all right."  
  
"Since when did you care about whether I'm all right or not?" Draco retorted. "Anyway, I'm sure your precious homework means a lot to you, so why don't you just go do it NOW?"  
  
"Well, _sorry_ for trying to be _nice_, Malfoy!" Hermione turned a little pink, glaring at the pale figure before her, and then she sighed. "I know something's wrong Malfoy, and it's good to talk to people, you know? Get it off your chest . . . you should talk to someone, even if you don't want to talk to me."  
  
"You're right," Malfoy said. "I _don't_ want to talk to you. Please leave me alone."  
  
He turned away, so she wouldn't see his face. He didn't want her to know how he felt. There was an awkward silence, before he heard the door snap shut.  
  
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-  
  
"Ron?"  
  
Hermione entered the library where she saw Ron sitting at a table. He looked up and smiled when he saw her.  
  
"Why did you want to meet me here?" Beaming, Hermione took a seat beside Ron.  
  
"Well . . . I just . . . wanted to tell you something." At this, Ron's smile wavered a little, and he fiddled with his wand.  
  
She smiled encouragingly. "Out with it Ron, I won't bite. Why are you so nervous?"  
  
And then it hit her. Her lips formed a small 'o' and Ron stared back at her, knowing that she had realised. He looked mortified. His wand clattered to the floor, though they didn't notice it.  
  
"Oh Ron," Hermione finally said. "You brought me out here just to tell me . . . _that_?" She tried to hold back a laugh as she watched Ron's face.  
  
He nodded slowly, and then muttered, "My wand . . ." He bent over and picked it up, glad for an excuse to avoid looking at Hermione, even if it were just for a second.  
  
When he sat up straight and looked at Hermione, she suddenly moved closer and gave him a small peck on the cheek. Surprised, Ron looked at her, and then he slowly smiled.  
  
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-  
  
The Dark Lord sat in a cosy armchair before a warm fire, his servant Peter Pettigrew kneeling on the floor nearby, shivering a little, not from cold, but from fear. All was quiet for a moment -- a couple of owl hoots from outside startled Wormtail, and he whimpered a little.  
  
"You do know who is coming, don't you Wormtail?" Voldemort asked of his servant, who started when he was spoken to.   
  
"O--of course, sir," Pettigrew gasped. "Your spy!"   
  
Voldemort laughed at his servant's high-pitched shaky voice. "Yes, my spy is coming tonight. We are to discuss our plans, see what action needs to be taken now. I hear that Dumbledore is worried about Snape, knows that he's probably dead."  
  
"Yeh-Yes Master," Wormtail said, trying to sound sincerely happy for his Master. He paused, and then added, "Th--that st-stupid fool," he stuttered.  
  
At this, the Dark Lord turned to his servant, his eyes flashing angrily. "_You_ are the stupid fool, you ignorant twerp!" he shouted, and watched with satisfaction at Wormtail cowering away in a corner.  
  
"M--may I have permission t-to ask wh-who your sp-p-spy is?"  
  
"You will find out soon," Voldemort replied, smirking. "You will find out soon."

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I hope you found this chapter OK . . . please R&R!


	6. A Decision

Thanks to all the people who have reviewed so far, I love you! =D  
  
Andy man507252 Yeah, I see your point (I've never been really good with introductions) Thanks for pointing it out! : )  
  
Pippin1177 I don't want to say yet, I hope it will keep you reading!  
  
Punkedupgt Your story is NOT retarded, don't ever think that, you hear me? :) Very original work, I must say.   
  
Apothaca Your story is cool man! ;) It has an unexpected ending and twists and whooo! Keep up the good work!  
  
Disclaimer - I don't own any of the characters in this fanfic. Obviously, they all belong to J.K. Rowling, from whose imagination these characters came.  
  
.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-. chapter six: a decision .-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.  
  
That night, when he received the letter, Draco Malfoy knew what he had to do. Although he didn't like the idea of it, Draco knew that it would be all for the best. His mother had sent him a letter, scathingly telling him that he had one last chance to apologise to herself and to his father, one last chance to be a part of the Dark Lord's inner circle of Death Eaters. How DARE she? No, the horrid things she said in her letter had the opposite effect on Draco than she had intended. If she thought she could scare him into returning to her, she was wrong.   
  
Before breakfast, the next morning, he determinedly walked to the Headmaster's Office. He stood before the statues for a couple of minutes before he could remember the password, and after they sneered at him for forgetting, they allowed him to pass. As he ascended the stairs to Dumbledore's Office, he ran over in his head different ways of explaining himself.  
  
Once he reached the wooden door, he knocked gently, and Dumbledore's gentle voice called, "Come in."  
  
He opened the door and Dumbledore looked up, not at all surprised to see the pointed-faced, pale Slytherin enter his office. "Yes, Mr. Malfoy?"  
  
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While munching on some toast, Ron was busy trying to finish off an essay for Transfiguration. Harry stared. "Why didn't you do it last night, Ron?"  
  
"I was busy last night," Ron snapped, his writing getting larger and messier the longer he wrote. "Percy sent a letter and it was awfully long -- I don't understand why that git had to send it to me anyway, it didn't really have anything important in it. How long have I got?"  
  
"Twenty minutes," Harry replied, thinking about how long it had taken Percy to apologise to the Weasleys for his awful actions when Harry was in his fifth year.   
  
Hermione arrived and sat down beside Harry. She saw Ron, and asked, "Ron, what ARE you doing?"  
  
"He didn't get to finish his Transfiguration essay," Harry said, while Ron grunted.  
  
Harry saw Hermione open her mouth to reprimand Ron, but then he saw her hastily shut her mouth. Bewildered, Harry continued eating his toast which had gone a little cold wondering, what was wrong with everybody? Malfoy going all quiet, Ron suddenly too busy to complete his homework, Hermione not scolding them for once, and Snape missing. It was so _strange_.  
  
"Anyway Hermione," Harry finally said, finding the silence rather awkward. He glanced over at the Slytherint table and noticed that Malfoy wasn't there. "Malfoy hasn't hurt you or anything, has he?"  
  
"No, no, everything's been fine with him and me," Hermione replied. "We don't really speak to each other, unless we have to, for Head duties."  
  
"But if he does do anything, you _will_ let me and Ron know, right?" Harry asked.  
  
"Yeah," Ron added. "Then it gives us an excuse to smash him to a pulp."  
  
Hermione gave Ron a stern look as he glanced up to look at her. His ears turned slightly pink as he looked down at his essay again.  
  
Rolling his eyes, Harry said, "Ron, you nearly done? We got to get going, otherwise we'll be late."  
  
"Blimey!" Ron glanced at his watch. "I need a couple more lines to finish this off."  
  
"Well hurry up," Hermione urged. "I don't want to be late."  
  
Rolling his eyes, Harry opened his mouth to tell the two of them to be quiet, but he was distracted when he saw Draco Malfoy enter the Great Hall, looking less pale than he usually did. Their eyes met, and for a moment, Harry didn't see the obnoxious Slytherin he had known ever since his first year at Hogwarts. He saw a scrawny teenager that he didn't know.  
  
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Care of Magical Creatures was the last lesson for the day, and by this time, Harry and Ron were already tired. They hoped Hagrid hadn't brought some wild beasts for them to tame, for they were just too exhausted for something like that.  
  
Usually, the three Gryffindors were the first to get to class, but today they saw that a certain Slytherin was already there, staring at something in a big crate in front of Hagrid's hut.   
  
"What the..." Ron muttered.  
  
Hagrid came out at that moment, and after giving Malfoy a perplexed look, he turned and beamed at them. "You're g'nna have fun ter-day!"   
  
He began to say something, and Harry and Ron listened intently to him, knowing that Hagrid's idea of "fun" was different from theirs. Hermione, however, was interested in Malfoy, who, after staring inside the crate for several more minutes, turned away and looked at Hagrid. His face was expressionless. She wondered what he could be thinking about.   
  
As though he could feel eyes suddenly watching him, Malfoy glanced in her direction, and she turned away as quickly as she could, hoping he hadn't noticed her watching.  
  
"Kneazles? They shouldn't be too bad, huh, Hermione?" Ron asked, giving her a nudge.   
  
"Yeah..." Hermione replied, though her thoughts were still on Draco.   
  
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Hermione was still curious to find out who had sent Draco that letter the other night. When she had returned to Hogwarts, she had heard several things about him that she wasn't sure she believed -- would Draco Malfoy behave like that? Did Malfoy really hate his father?  
  
She went into the common room she shared with him, and noticed that a piece of parchment lay near Draco's bedroom door. She stooped down and picked it up, and when she saw that it was a letter addressed to Draco, she quickly held the parchment away from her eyes. She didn't want to peep or pry into his affairs, and yet ... yet she was so _curious_ about him. Was it the same letter that had caused him to react the way he did? She wanted to know.  
  
He'll never know, she told herself. So she brought it close to her face and read the letter.   
  
She had only reached halfway through, when she heard the door swing open suddenly. Draco Malfoy stood in the doorway, staring at the parchment she held in her hand. "What's that?" he asked, although he walked past her without waiting for an answer, and shut himself up in his room.  
  
Glad he hadn't realised what she was doing, Hermione went into the bathroom they shared together. She placed the parchment near the sink, hoping Malfoy would think that he had accidentally left it there, before she returned to her own room, where she prepared to do her homework. It HAD been wrong of her to read that letter. Hermione scolded herself mentally. How would you like it if someone read a personal letter addressed to you, she told herself.  
  
She sat at her table and tried to start her homework, but her mind kept wandering, and in the end, she gave up trying to do any work. There were so many things she wanted to know about what had happened to Snape, what had triggered off that drastic change in Draco Malfoy, what her feelings were toward Ron, and what Lord Voldemort had planned this time.   
  
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I'm not very happy with this chapter, even though I've spent more time on this one than the rest, but I promise the next chapter will be better! 


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